Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a vehicle seating system. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to folding vehicle seats. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to vehicle seats collapsible into a compartment within the vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Vans and other multi-use vehicles are used to carry a number of passengers. It is also desirable to be able to use the interior volume of the vehicle to carry cargo from time to time. While the vehicle is carrying passengers, each passenger must have a seat that is secured within the vehicle, and include proper passenger restraints. These seats take up interior volume that is not usable for cargo when the vehicle is in cargo-carrying mode. This issue is conventionally addressed in several ways.
A first manner of addressing this issue is to provide folding seatbacks. The seatbacks are pivotally mounted to the seat base, and are adapted to lay flat over the seat base, or to lay back so as to be parallel with the seat base, forming a flat support surface. Either of these methods provides a reasonably contiguous volume within the vehicle, but that volume might only be one-half of the total interior volume.
A second manner of freeing up the interior volume of the vehicle is to remove the seats in their entirety. This well-known method generally involves detaching the seat support from an anchoring feature set into the floor of the vehicle interior. The released seat must then be maneuvered through a vehicle door and stored somewhere outside the vehicle; the seat is thus not available for use again until the vehicle returns to the seat storage site.
A third manner of increasing the available vehicle cargo volume involves folding the seats into an in-floor or under-floor recess or cavity. Various examples of this practice are known, and generally require that the seats be mounted to the vehicle load floor in a substantially fixed position so that the seats can generally pivot into the provided storage receptacle.
It would be advantageous to provide a seat mechanism that is adapted to move the seat out of the way, to maximize interior storage volume of the interior of the vehicle, without requiring removal and storage of the seat outside of the vehicle, and further to provide such a seat that is adjustable in position and orientation while in use.
A seat assembly mounted on a cross-vehicle frame, the frame including a member riding in a channel proximate the vehicle sidewall to provide adjustability of the position of the seat assembly, longitudinal and vertical movement of the seat assembly from a use to a storage position, and cross-vehicle reinforcement to control side intrusion during impact.